Q: What wood stain should I use?
A: Great question! When shopping for wood stain colors, it is important to know what type of look you're trying to create in order to choose the right staining product. Deck stains come in a variety of finishes, and ensuring you choose a good match for the wood you will be staining will make your wood staining project a success. Learn about the different stain finishes and a few stylish wood stain colors.
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Clear sealant on patio
Show the Wood's Natural Beauty
Clear Sealants
With so many colors of wood stain from which to choose, sometimes it is just easier to stick to the basics by using what is known as a clear sealant. Clear sealants are an excellent way of letting the true beauty of your wood shine through.
A clear sealant like Olympic MAXIMUM Waterproofing Sealant or Olympic Wood Protector Waterproofing Sealant will also help protect your wood from nature's elements, while still maintaining a completely natural look.
If you have wood decking that has a lot of grain to it, clear sealants will allow the grain and texture of the wood to show, where other types of finishes would subdue or even altogether eliminate the visibility of the grain.
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Honey Gold on Pressure-Treated Wood
Wood Texture Shows Through
Toners
If you are looking for something a tad more than a clear sealant, but still want to highlight the features of your wood decking, you may want to consider going with a toner.
Toners are transparent stain colors that allow you to add a slight layer of stain to the natural color of your wood without hiding the unique features of the wood.
Honey Gold is a good toner choice if you want to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere. While toners provide some color, they still allow for the texture and grain of your wood to show through.
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Redwood on Hardwood
Hides Minor Imperfections
Semi-Transparent Stains
For those who are aiming for a bit more coverage and want a little more flexibility in how much or little of their wood's texture they expose, there are many semi-transparent stain color options.
Semi-transparent color wood stain colors can help to hide minor imperfections in the wood or simply give a more bold look to your wood.
Redwood is a popular choice in this category as it compliments almost any exterior surroundings, and most landscapes.
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Wood Texture Visible
Semi-Solid Stains
Semi-solid stain colors provide the same subtle, yet rich color as a semi-transparent stain, but hide some of the wood grain while allowing the texture to show. Semi-solid wood stain colors provide more hide for wood with imperfections.
Semi-solid stains are only available in Olympic® ELITE Advanced Stain & Sealant in One and can tint to 14 wood-inspired colors.
Madrone is a brown semi-solid wood stain that looks great in almost any setting.
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Full Coverage
Solid Stains
Solid stain colors provide the most coverage. Some people prefer this option if they are looking to create more of a bold statement and are not concerned with the amount of grain they leave exposed.
Solid stain colors are also popular for those who may have some flaws in the wood that they would like to conceal. There are a multitude of color options here to match virtually any home.
Rocky Gray is a good choice to help bring some warmth to your outdoor living area while providing maximum surface coverage. Blue-grays like Rocky Gray are very popular in today's home design market and can help you achieve just the right look with a deeper level of coverage.
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